FX.co ★ South Africa Retail Sales Growth Slows

South Africa's retail sales experienced a year-on-year increase of 3.9% in February 2025, following a significant rise of 7% the previous month. Growth slowed down in sectors such as general dealers, which saw a 3.4% increase compared to 7.6% in January, and in household furniture, appliances, and equipment, which grew by 6.7% compared to 7.9% the prior month. There were declines in sales for sectors such as food, beverages, and tobacco in specialized stores, dropping by 3.7% compared to a 7.5% increase earlier; hardware, paint, and glass, which fell by 4.1% after a previous rise of 2.1%; and pharmaceuticals and medical goods, cosmetics, and toiletries, which decreased by 0.7% following a 6.9% increase. Conversely, notable growth was recorded in textiles, clothing, footwear, and leather goods, jumping to 15.7% from 10.8%. Adjusting for seasonal variations, retail trade decreased by 1.3% on a monthly basis in February, after a downwardly revised increase of 0.7% in the prior month. Overall, retail trade sales saw an improvement of 4.4% for the three months ending February 2025 compared to the same period last year.